Create a Color Collage

What You Need:

• Collage materials in mixed colors, such as sequins, stickers, beads, pom-poms, buttons, feathers, macaroni, and foam shapes
• White glue
• Heavy construction paper, divided into four parts with lines or folds
• Markers 

What You Do:

1. Spread the collage materials out on a table or other work area. Make sure the materials are mixed up, so that the sorting isn’t already done!
2. Give your child a piece of heavy construction paper that has been divided into four boxes with lines or folds.
3. Ask them to pick a color for each box, then write the color with an appropriate pen or marker. For example, use a red marker to write “red.”
4. Help your child glue a few of the collage items into the correct boxes. For example, red sequins go into the “red” box, as do red pompoms… When you think they have the hang of things, let them go at it on their own. (Keep in mind that even though they may have the sorting part down, they may still need some help with the glue!)
5. Challenge your child’s ability to articulate the process they are using. Ask them to tell you why they are gluing the items where they are gluing them. And once they have the color sorting down, consider throwing a curve ball by asking how else they might sort their items. For example, they might put all the buttons together, or all the things that are soft (feathers, pompoms, etc.) As they work on their collage, talk about what makes the items the same and what makes them different.

When there are enough sparkles and glue to satisfy your young artist, and the macaroni is just barely hanging on to the edge of the page, the masterpiece is complete. Congratulations. You’ve helped sharpen your child’s sorting, color recognition, and fine motor skills, and thrown in a bit of artistic expression as well. All that’s left to do is to make some room on the refrigerator!